From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory Ch 1
by Ailaya
Summary: Aliya had made a decision, a decision that she believed would have changed everything. She would no longer be in the darkness that had become her world. She would finally be free. Just as she would have completed her task, she learned that there was something hidden within her past. But as she learns more, she begins to wonder if there are some things best left hidden.
1. Chapter 1

From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory

Chapter One: To End It All… A New Beginning

She stood before the window of her room, staring out across the endless sky. The stars flickered beautifully within the black velvety caress of the heavens as if signaling to all who could see that they were awake and alive. But she did not feel what they felt. The young girl of sixteen years felt dead inside. For months she slowly sank into the dark void of depression, feeling lost and alone in a world that she did not understand nor that understood her.

School was hell for her. Students passed her by without a single thought of the girl sitting alone in the cafeteria. The girl who stared sadly out of the window, watching her fellow students as they went about their business. Not even the teachers who usually seemed to enjoy picking on students in their time of sorrow or awkwardness seemed to notice her. No one cared. A single tear slowly rolled down her cheek reaching her jaw-line before falling to the ground below.

She raised her hand slowly placing it on the windowpane before slowly leaning forward to rest her forehead against the cold glass. She was tired of feeling this way. Feeling as if she had nothing left. The young girl stepped away from the window and walked over to her bed. As she sank down on the soft mattress she reached out towards her nightstand and opened the drawer. Slipping her hand inside she felt around trying to find the one thing that could make the hurting stop. When her fingers touched against the cold metal she almost felt a slight joy in her heart.

Being careful she picked up the metallic thing and raised it to her gaze. The razor blade glittered, glaring almost angrily back at her. The light causing it to flicker back at her, winking at her as if telling her that everything would be all right. She smiled weakly running her finger carefully over the side of the blade making sure not to cut her tender flesh just yet. "This will end it…. End it all," she whispered to no one but herself. Someone was listening, worried as they watched her.

Taking a deep breath, she let go. She let go of all her pain, all her sorrow, all her fear, all of her turmoil. She just let go. As the blade ran smoothly across the soft skin of her wrist she could feel the painful sting of the blood rising to the surface. Opening her eyes, her gray eyes stared at the blood as it rolled from the cut down the sides of her wrists. Taking great care she took the blade in her other hand and pressed the edge against her wrist again pulling the object towards her watching as more blood poured from the wounds.

The young girl's arms dropped to her sides as she waited. Waited for the darkness to overtake her, to take her away from this ugly world. Take her away from herself. Finally it would all be over… The sound of glass breaking echoed within her ears as she started to lose consciousness. She could barely feel the pair of arms wrapping around her body. A rough, callused hand was placed on her cheek and she could feel the sting of someone slapping her. "Aliya… Aliya, open your eyes," a voice called to her through the darkness.

Aliya tried to open her eyes but she was too tired. Her body was slowly becoming cold in the arms of the one that held her. "Dammit don't you dare die on me!" she heard him growl as he held her in his arms. Her head slowly rolled back, her body becoming completely limp. "Aliya!" The young girl could barely feel her body being shaken as she completely lost all consciousness. "I won't let you die."

The warmth of the sun slowly pulled her out of her sleep, drawing her into the woken world around her. Aliya let out a soft moan as she slowly opened her eyes. Wait… she was opening her eyes? The young girl stared ahead of herself letting her eyes adjust to sight once again before she turned her gaze to look about her. She was not in her room any longer. She was not sure where she was but it was obvious to her that she was no longer in her own apartment Aliya raised her hand to her forehead letting out a moan.

How had she survived? She had slit open her wrists to ensure that she would die but here she was wide-awake in another room. It was then that she realized her wrists had been bandaged, wrapped in gauze and bandages. What is going on here? Her thought was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and a gasp rang through the still air. The young girl turned her gaze towards the door of the room to notice a young man watching her with green eyes.

"I see you have finally awaken…" he said, his voice was calm almost soothing to her and somehow… familiar at the same time. "Yes…" Aliya said watching him carefully. He stood about five foot seven inches with shoulder length red hair that had been pulled back, stood out against his olive skin complexion. He wore a long sleeved white dress shirt with black slacks. In his hands he carried a tray of tea. "Who are you?" Aliya spoke in a soft halting voice as she watched the beautiful man as he walked further into the room.

"My name is Suichi Minamino," he said as he slowly placed the tray down on a table that she had just noticed was beside the bed. He focused his attention on pouring a cup of tea for her, preparing it without asking her how she liked it and held it out for her. "Drink some tea… it will help." Aliya slowly reached out and took the cup from him before raising it to her lips. She hesitated only a moment wondering if she should trust the man or not but his face presented such a gentleness that she could not help herself but to drink some of it.

"Its… delicious…" she whispered softly staring into the golden brown brew, feeling the steam raise from the surface and envelope her senses. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the young girl opened her lips to speak. "How… is it that I am here?" Aliya raised her eyes to look at him. For a split moment she thought she saw something in his eyes but it disappeared before she could be certain. "An associate of mine brought you to me…" Suichi said with an air of mystery. "Why?"

Suichi watched the young girl quietly noting that the cup of tea in her hands was starting to shake with the anxiety that she felt. He pressed his lips together remaining silent for a moment. "Why did he not let me die?" It was the question he knew she would ask him… the question he himself was not prepared to answer. "This is not the time to answer that question. You are still weak and need to rest more." The girl raised her eyebrow at him frowning slightly. "Rest? It seems to me that your "associate" robbed me of that right. All I wanted to do was to rest for all eternity to be… away from this world. To be free… but no that was too much to ask wasn't it?"

Suichi fought back the sigh that was threatening to spill forth from his lips. "Please…" he said calmly. "Don't you please, me…" she growled at him but stopped suddenly when she saw the flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. The young girl's gaze dropped to her cup before she raised it to her lips to drink. "I promise you that I will answer your questions when you are in a better state of mind. Right now… you need to finish your tea and rest." Suichi picked up the tray gently before walking over to the door. "I will be back in a couple of hours with dinner."

Aliya nodded her head not looking at him anymore. There was something about the anger in his eyes that was unsettling to her. She didn't understand what had upset him so much. She just wanted to understand why his friend had saved her from her fate. She had wanted to die and he took that from her. She deserved to know why he had chosen to do something like that but perhaps Minamino was right. She was indeed still tired and felt even more so as the warmth of the tea overwhelmed her body.

The young girl placed the cup on the table beside the bed and lay back gently. Finally she dared to raise her gaze to look up at Suichi and thought that she almost saw a flicker of emotion behind his eyes. "Rest…" he said calmly as he opened the door and stepped out shutting it behind him. Aliya's eyes drooped slowly before shutting completely.

Suichi looked down at the tray of tea in his hands feeling a presence walking towards him. "How is she?" The voice drew him from his inner most thoughts. Suichi raised his emerald eyes to watch the one who had spoken. "She isn't handling this as well as one would hope. Then again…" he walked past him. "One would expect such behavior from someone who tried to end their own life…" The man let out a growl.

"I don't care… she had no business doing what she did, Kurama…" "Hiei, you know as well as I do that there is more to this. That she felt…" Hiei growled softly turning his head away not wanting to hear any more. "I don't care what she felt… if she had succeeded we would have felt…" "Lost without her…" Suichi finished his friend's sentence.


	2. Chapter 2

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Two: The Forbidden One

Aliya opened her eyes what seemed like a few minutes later but one glance outside told her otherwise. It had been hours since she had woken up the first time. Slowly she sat up in her bed, looking around to find herself alone but only momentarily so as the door to the bedroom opened and Suichi entered carrying a tray of food.

"Hungry?" he asked her as he walked over towards her placing the tray down on the table beside the bed. "Um…" Aliya said, hesitantly as she breathed in the scent of the food. Her stomach growled angrily at her for taking her time in acknowledging that there was something edible nearby. "I will take that as a yes…" he said as he picked up a plate and placed it gently on her lap.

The young girl stared down at the plate in silent surprise at seeing all of her favorite foods. Suichi handed her a pair of chopsticks before moving over to the chair and sitting down to watch her. "These… are all my favorite foods," she said with a smile as she picked up a steamed pork dumpling and ate a little. "Mmmm…" Aliya sighed as she closed her eyes. A smile tugged on Suichi's lips as he watched her eat the food he had prepared for her. When she had finally finished, the young man had stood from the chair and walked over to her side.

"Suichi?" Aliya began as she watched him pick up her plate and place it on the tray. She didn't notice the pause in his movements before he responded to her. "Yes?" he asked her, turning towards her. "Can you tell me now… why your friend decided to step in and save me?" Suichi crossed his arms over his chest watching her wordlessly for a few moments before he answered her. "There is something you need to understand…" "What do I need to understand?" The young man opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Suichi," came a voice from the doorway.

Aliya turned her gaze towards the new voice to see a man standing in the doorframe watching her. His crimson eyes seemed devoid of most emotion except one; utter contempt. He folded his arms over his muscular chest. "Hn… I see you finally decided to wake up," he said, coldly. The young girl's eyebrows knitted together as she frowned at his comments. "Yes I am," she snapped back. "You better watch your tone, on'na," the man growled. "This is Hiei Jaganshi," Suichi said moving from her bedside over towards Hiei.

"Suichi, can you please tell me…" Aliya began but was interrupted by the other man who snorted at her. "I was the one who saved your pathetic life, on'na." The young girl frowned at him even more, her hands clenched into fists as she watched him. "And why did you do that? I was going to end…" "Did you ever stop to think of those who would be hurt by you doing something so selfish?" Hiei asked her. Aliya stopped her mouth closing slowly at his words. _Hurt?_ "What do you mean hurt? No one would have noticed that I was gone. No one. I spend every day alone… no one notices me… no one cares. If I died…"

Suichi turned his emerald eyes towards the girl, great anger flashing within his eyes. "I refuse to believe that no one would care that you were gone," he said. "Shows how much you know…" Aliya snorted as she looked away from them. Hiei let out a growl moving to step towards her but he was stopped by a heavy hand landing on his shoulder when he looked up he saw that Suichi was staring down at him with a stern gaze. The smaller man frowned and turned his back towards the girl. "If you are going to end your life then you should hurry and do it. Stop wasting time," Hiei growled before walking out of the room.

Aliya let out a gasp at his words watching him as he walked out of the room. Suichi raised his eyes towards the ceiling before letting out a sigh. He moved towards the bed and sat down before looking into the eyes of the girl. "No matter what you think or how much you believe that no one would be affected by your death there is always someone who would be." Aliya watched him with a gentle frown that slowly melted away into sadness. "If that was true… then I should have friends… family. Instead it's just me. I can barely make ends meet or keep food on my table. Its just… so hard."

Suichi placed his hand over hers and watched her face. "There is… something I want you to know. I am always here for you. Believe it or not so is Hiei." The young girl sniffed and smiled at him. "Why are you being so nice to me, Suichi? You barely even know me and yet you took me into your home and cared for me." The man smiled down at her patting his hand on hers before he stood up. "There are some things that are better left unanswered. Tomorrow I will take you on a tour of my home. But for now… you should rest."

The young girl sighed heavily watching the man as he walked towards the door of her room. She slowly sank back against her pillows and closed her eyes letting sleep overtake her. Something told her that tomorrow would be a very hectic day.


	3. Chapter 3

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Three: The Haunting Past

Slowly opening her eyes, Aliya awoke to the sound of birds singing outside of her window. She sat up running her fingers through her black hair before she pushed back the blanket and sheets of her bed as she slid towards the edge. The young girl stood on her feet ignoring the tingling sensation shooting through her legs. She swung her arms slightly trying to keep her balance then made her way to the door. When she opened the door only to find Hiei on the other side with his hand poised to knock. He stared at her for a moment an emotion rising into his eyes before vanishing all together. "Hn… I am amazed that you can stand on your own."

The young girl sighed running her fingertips through her hair again before responding to him. "It's not like I was paralyzed." Hiei snorted at her comment balling his hands into fists and placing them on his hips. "Suichi wanted me to make sure that you were awake and bring you out into the living room. Are you ready?" Aliya nodded her head walking down the hall where Suichi was waiting with a smile on his face. "I am glad that you are here. I did not think that you would be able to walk just yet." He stepped forward taking her hand gently helping her around the couch. The man's smile slowly faded when he felt an angry aura radiating in the air.

Suichi watched his friend carefully keeping his green eyes on him for a moment before turning his gaze away. _Hiei calm down... she doesn't have any memory remember? You must pretend not to know her... _The other man grunted before turning his face away and staring out of the window that he was sitting at. Suichi looked back down at the young girl with a small smile on his face. "So... what would you like to eat?" The young girl ran her fingers through her hair thoughtfully then let her hand drop before she raised her eyes to the red haired young man. "Well I would like some breakfast please if that is not too much to ask."

Suichi let out a chuckle and nodded his head letting her hand go then walked into the kitchen. The young girl sat down on the couch turning on the television then leaned back to relax when she felt eyes on her. Aliya shifted her gaze to look to lock eyes with Hiei. His crimson eyes seemed to swallow her in their blood-like pools. "Um..." she stammered softly letting her gaze to her lap. _Are you frightened of me, on'na? _

Aliya raised her eyes to lock with his once again. She blinked wondering to herself if it was his voice that she had heard within her mind. _What was that? _She thought as a soft frown formed on her pretty face. _You didn't answer my question. Are you afraid of me? _Aliya's frown softens little by little until it disappeared entirely. _No. I am not afraid of you... I just... why would you save a complete stranger?_ The voice did not respond but she felt the eyes of the man shift away as if he was unable to look at her anymore.

The young woman raised her eyes once again towards the man and watched him silently as Suichi walked into the living room with two plates of food. He looked at the young woman and his best friend quietly knowing that something had transpired between the two of them but he would have to continue to play dumb for the moment. Suichi placed a plate of food on the coffee table before Aliya then walked over to Hiei and handed him a plate as well. "I just realized as I was cooking in the kitchen that I do not know your name. What is it?" he said calmly.

Aliya cut out a piece of pancake and picked it up with her fork and held it poised at her lips when she heard his question. She smiled when she had realized the same and slowly lowered the fork. "My name is Aliya Night." The young girl raised the fork to her lips and placed the pancake in her mouth. "Aliya that is a very... pretty name," Suichi said, his voice trailed off a little as he spoke. If the girl had raised her gaze she would have seen that the ruby haired man was watching the back of his friend who refused to look at either of them.

Suichi was well aware of the pain filled expression on his face. There was something in his eyes that the black haired man tried to hide from both of them. As Suichi began to eat his breakfast he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both he and Hiei locked eyes before Suichi stood from the couch and walked over to the door and opened it. When he opened the door, Suichi was surprised to see his other friends; Yusuke Urameshi and Kuwabara Kazuma. "Yusuke.. Kuwabara what are you..." Yusuke opened his mouth to speak when he stopped staring past the taller young man's shoulder at the girl sitting on the couch.

Yusuke stared at her as if she was a ghost. He placed his hand on Suichi's arm and pushed his friend out of his way as he stepped into the room drawing the attention of the young girl who was nibbling on a piece of meat. When they locked eyes, the young girl smiled at him. "Hello... um... I mean kon'nichi wa. I'm Aliya..." she said in a soft gentle tone. Yusuke turned his chocolate brown eyes towards Suichi and glared at him. "Uh... Suichi... Hiei... can I... speak with you? I mean alone?"

Suichi nodded his head as he and Hiei followed the other boy into another room. As soon as they were safely out of ear shot, Yusuke pulled back his fist and smashed it into Suichi's face. "What the hell is she doing here, Kurama?" the young man hissed as he held his fist back to allow Suichi to respond. The kitsune brushed the back of his hand over his bottom lip wiping away some blood that had seeped to the surface of a cut on his lip. "Yusuke before you get angry there are some things you must know," Suichi began calmly but his tone was cut short by a grunt from Hiei.

"She tried to kill herself," he snapped. Yusuke stared at the short fire and ice demon before looking down at his feet. "How do you know?" "Because I watched her cut her wrists." Kuwabara shifted his gaze back and forth between his friends. "So what are we going to do with her?" he asked them. Suichi opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted once again by the angry and irritated voice of Hiei.

"She's staying," he growled. "She cannot stay here remember?" Kuwabara asked him. Yusuke ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a sigh. "We all remember, Kuwabara but we are not about to pretend nothing happened. We tried that once before and she tried to take her own life." He fell silent for a moment before speaking once again. "We'll have to keep her hidden you know? And continue to pretend we just met her... for her own protection."

"We are aware of that, baka," Hiei hissed under his breath. Yusuke turned his gaze once again towards Suichi. "She doesn't remember... anything?" Suichi shook his head. "No, she doesn't remember anything." Yusuke nodded his head. "Good. Then we won't screw up her life anymore than we had."

Hiei frowned heavily crossing his arms over his muscular chest and turned his head away from them as the others left the room to return to the young girl who was unaware of her ties with the four friends. And this... was the hardest part for the little fire demon. To pretend that she didn't mean anything to him when she meant so much to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Four: The Kiss

Aliya sat at the kitchen table quietly sipping a mug of hot chocolate that Suichi had made for her only a few minutes before. Her long black hair was draped delicately over her back. She was wearing some of the clothes that Suichi had bought for her. A soft smile spread over her face at the thought of the ruby haired young man who seemed slightly over-protective of her. As she finished her drink, her attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps entering into the kitchen. Her gaze fell upon the four foot eleven inched quiet man who always seemed cold.

"Good morning Hiei," she said in her usual soft voice. The man barely acknowledged her presence as he walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. Aliya let out a soft sigh as she dropped her gaze to the bottom of her mug staring at the swirling dark liquid that still remained. Hiei turned his head slowly to look at her. He felt hsi cold heart slowly start to melt as he watched the dreamy expression on her face. It was a look she had often worn when he knew her. It was an expression that he had come to miss although he would never admit it to anyone.

The young girl's sigh drew him out of his thoughts. She placed her small hand against her cheek and slowly turned her gaze to look at him before turning away. "Am I disturbing you?" Aliya asked as she lowered her hand and wrapped her fingers around the mug. Hiei shifted his gaze towards her and watched the side of her face. "No..." was the only thing he said to her as he began to prepare himself a cup of tea. The young girl sighed as she lowered her mug from her lips and turned her head to watch him carefully.

"Then why do I get the feeling that you are avoiding me?" Aliya dared to ask him. The man turned his whole body and leaned against the counter watching her with a more emotional expression on his face. "I do not know what you are talking about." The young girl frowned and stood from her chair pushing it back with the sudden movement. She placed her hand on her hips glaring at him. "You do know what I am talking about Hiei. I can tell that there is something you guys are not telling me. Ever since I woke up here I can feel a tension in the air."

Hiei frowned in return after hearing her words. He actually did know what she was referring to. It was getting harder and harder for them to pretend that everything was all right especially with her being in the same house as them. He had often found himself looking at her, staring at her watching her every movement. And he knew that the others were doing the same. "You are imaging things." Aliya huffed moving over towards the four foot eleven man and stood directly in front of him. For the first time in his life, Hiei felt uncomfortable with the close presence of a woman.

"Then tell me why have I woken in the middle of the night to see Suichi standing in the door way of my room watching me as I sleep? And don't tell me its out of concern because... there is always something in his face..." Hiei felt his eye twitch when she said that. He had suspected that the kitsune had been entering into her room at night but giving his friend the benefit of the doubt he never questioned it. Now that she was telling him, he understood what was going on. Without a word he walked past the young girl who was taken aback by his movement.

"Wait... where are you going?" she asked him and stepped forward to follow him but when she saw the look on his face Aliya flinched and drew back. Whatever she had said had an obvious affect on the man and she did not want to see what would happen.

Suichi was sitting in the middle of his garden checking the progress of his roses when he heard the approach of Hiei. "Every time I come out here I expect her roses to have wilted and died. But I am always gladdened to see that they still continue to bloom." He turned his head, his emerald orbs burning with an emotion that Hiei had not seen in them in over a year. "I don't know how long I can pretend, Hiei. It's getting harder and harder with each passing day now that she is living with us."

"It would be easier if you would stop appearing in Aliya's room," Hiei said not wanting to get into an argument with his friend. Suichi smirked as he turned his attention back to the roses. "I know you can feel it too, Hiei. It wasn't easy for you watching her for the year seeing her tormented and not being able to do anything about it. And what about now?" Hiei folded his arms over his chest and looked away. "I am not as weak as you."

Suichi let out a humph as he stood from the ground and turned towards his friend. He stopped beside him. "I know you, Hiei. Perhaps better than you know yourself. You cannot deny yourself much longer..." With that the kitsune walked over to the patio door and entered into his apartment. Hiei frowned staring down at the roses knowing that his friend was right. He would not be able to contain himself much longer.

Aliya raised her eyes when she heard the sound of the patio door closing followed by a pair of footsteps that entered into the living room. A smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Suichi. "I was wondering where you had disappeared to," she said as he sat beside her. "I was attending my rose garden," he responded to her. The young girl gasped and clutched at the young man's arm as her eyes grew larger. "You have roses? It is one of my most favorite flower."

Suichi smiled biting back a comment as he nodded. He watched her pretty face as she smiled at him then slowly turned her face away as she leaned against his arm. The kitsune stiffened as he felt her body pressing against his. The young girl let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes. "Would you like to see it?" he asked. Aliya tilted her head upwards so that she could look into his face. Suichi felt his heart stop for a brief moment as he looked into those stormy grey eyes of hers. "I would love to..."

The kitsune pulled away from her and took her hand gently in his callused hand before helping her onto her feet. He tried to ignore the soft feel of her flesh against his as she held his hand tightly. Suichi gently pulled her with him leading her out of the apartment and towards the rose garden. Aliya gasped as she looked around at the beautiful multi-colored roses. She leaned forward and breathed in their scents enjoying the soothingly familiar aromas, the young girl smiled softly.

Suichi watched her every movement remembering somewhere in the back of his mind when she would spend hours taking care of the roses. He reached out and gently pulled a rose from a nearby bush and held it out in front of her eyes. Aliya gasped staring at the blood red petals and smiled as he slowly slipped the flower into her hair. The kitsune took this moment to take in her soft scent, his fingertips brushing through the soft strands of her hair.

The young girl slowly turned her face towards his and opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt his lips against hers. Aliya's eyes widened but instead of pushing the man away from her or even slapping his face, she raised her hand lacing her fingers into his long hair. The tip of his tongue brushed against her soft thick lips trying to gain access into her warm mouth and when she did not comply, Suichi slipped his hand underneath her shirt and placed his hand on her bra covered breast.

The sensation of being touched caused the young girl to open her mouth allowing him the access he needed to push his tongue into her hot mouth. Almost immediately, their tongues danced and swirled together massing each as they moved. The two were unaware of a pair of enraged eyes that were watching them. Unable to watch any longer Hiei jumped down from his tree and approached the two embraced in a powerful kiss and cleared his throat.

Suichi slowly broke the kiss immediately recognizing the grunt as coming from an anger filled Hiei. Despite not wanting to draw away from the lips that he had longed to taste again, Suichi pulled back from the breathless young girl who's cheeks turned a rose shade when she realized that they had been watched by Hiei. She had been unable to explain it but she had felt something radiating from the shorter man as he folded his arms over his chest.

Without uttering a word the two walked off leaving a dazed Aliya laying in the soft cool grass her fingertips pressed against her plush lips as she could still feel the red haired young man's still on hers.

Suichi ran his tongue over his lips, he could almost taste Aliya's lips still on them. "What the hell was that?" Hiei snapped at him, drawing the kitsune out of his own daze. Suichi shifted his gaze away from him for a moment before turning back towards him. "I told you that I would not be able to keep myself at bay with her here, Hiei." The fire demon raised his eyebrows before an enraged expression over took his handsome features. "So you decide that you are going to climb on top of her?"

"You make it sound as if I was going to rape her," Suichi said keeping his face as calm as he could. "Did you not say that you would not be able to control yourself?" Hiei questioned him. "You know I would never do anything to harm her just as you would not." Hiei growled as he moved closer to the kitsune. "You have done more than that. She does not remember us... none of us and yet you kiss her. I watched what you were doing Kurama. Did it not occur to you that she will soon realize that your kiss held more emotion in it than it was supposed to?"

The kitsune folded his arms over his chest knowing that his best friend was right. "Then what do you propose that we do?" Hiei turned his head remaining silent as he tried to ponder on what to do. The damage had already been done so there was nothing left to do at least for the time being. "You will have to have some self-control. I will not hesitate in hurting you if I find you kissing her again."

With that the fire demon left his friend to ponder over his words. Suichi turned his gaze to stare blankly at the white eastern wall. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before something else happened even if his friend refused to believe it.


	5. Chapter 5

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Five: Remembrance of a Forgotten Past

Hiei frowned heavily as he walked into the apartment he shared with Shuichi and now the girl, Aliya. He folded his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes a painful expression passing over his face. How was he going to be able to fight his feelings for the young girl? It had been a year since the tragic events that lead to the situation that they were in now.

The fire demon opened his eyes and stared out of the window. Near him he could hear Aliya's soft breathing as she slept. After learning that his best friend was having a difficult time concealing his feelings for her Hiei decided to be in her room at night to make sure that nothing happened to her. The fire youkai turned his gaze slowly towards her and watched her. A slight smirk spread across his face as he watched her sleep. _I am glad you do not remember anything of the past..._

Aliya let out a soft moan as if she had heard his thought and her eyes fluttered open. Hiei frowned and pulled back into the shadows so that she could not see him. The young girl flicked her fingers through her bangs looking around her room. _I could have... I thought I heard something..._ Aliya pulled her blankets close to her chest as she shifted her eyes around the room. Before she slowly laid back against the bed and closed her eyes.

Hiei leaned forward slightly letting out the breath he had been holding when he heard Aliya's soft voice. "It is you..." she said. Hiei frowned folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the chair he was sitting in. "Go back to sleep, on'na." The young girl watched him quietly despite him telling her to go to sleep.

He could tell that something was on her mind and he had a good idea what that something was. He didn't want her to say anything but he knew it was inevitable. "Did that kiss bother you, Hiei?" she whispered softly. The fire youkai closed his eyes. It more than bothered him. It took everything in him not to launch himself at his friend. "What you do matters nothing to me." "Then why did you stop him from kissing me? And what about that look on your face? It suggested that it more than bothered..."

Aliya barely finished her sentence when Hiei had her pinned against the bed. He glared down at her staring into her frightened eyes. He had enough of pretending, he knew that she would eventually figure it out. "You are right, Aliya... it bothered me more than it was supposed to." She swallowed frightened of what he would do to her. "There is so much that you do not understand... so much..." he breathed in her scent.

"Hiei..." she whispered causing the youkai to pull back from her then walk to the door without a moment's hesitation he walked out of her room. The young girl sat up still clutching the blanket to her small body. She could not understand what was happening. Why was Hiei and Shuichi acting so strangely? It seemed to happen suddenly but she had a feeling that it had been building up for some time and she was now feeling the effects.

There was much that she felt that she was not understanding. Much that was confusing her and somehow she knew that they would not give her any answers.

Shuichi opened his eyes when he heard Aliya's door close. The footsteps that followed told him that it was Hiei that had left the room. He waited a few moments before he moved off his bed and went over to his door and opened it. "Hiei..." he said carefully sensing that something had happened. "Shut up, kitsune," was the response that he gained. His friend watched him carefully for a moment. "It's not easy... is it?" Shuichi asked him.

The fire youkai ran his fingertips through his hair before turning his gaze away from the kitsune. "Her presence is making it more difficult." Shuichi sighed as he crossed his arms over his stomach and leaned back against the wall. "I am still in love with her, Hiei... and now I know you are as well. I cannot fight it and I don't want to fight it anymore."

Hiei growled stepping closer to his friend and grabbed his shirt. "You touch her and I'll kill you..." he grunted before releasing him. Shuichi looked down at him. "So.. what shall we do?" he asked. "What we have been doing since her memory had been taken from her..." "And what was that?" came a soft female voice twisted with sorrow and confusion. Both turned towards the young girl who was standing behind them.

Aliya watched them quietly before turning away from them. "Aliya, how much did you hear?" Shuichi asked, reaching out for her. She stopped and her head dropped a little. "I heard... enough..." she said as she walked into her room and closed the door behind herself. Hiei turned towards Shuichi and frowned. "Call Yusuke and Kuwabara. We just screwed up." Shuichi nodded his head and began to make his way towards the phone when he stopped. "Do you think we should call Destiny?"

Hiei flinched slightly before letting out a sigh. "Call her... I'll go see how Aliya is doing..." Shuichi nodded his head before disappearing into the kitchen.

Aliya sat on her bed staring out of the window nearest her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she went over the conversation that she had heard. She couldn't understand what was happening and needed answers. She barely heard the door opening and the footsteps as Hiei walked into the room. "Aliya..." he said, keeping his voice as low as possible.

She turned to look at him as he walked into the room. He could see the pain and confusion in her eyes and he slowly moved over towards her. "There is much that you do not know..." "Then start explaining it to me, Hiei. I heard Shuichi say that he loves me... that he knew that you felt the same way. That... my memory has been erased and that I no longer remember a life that I had with the four of you. What happened? Why weren't any of you around when I needed you? Why did it take until I tried..."

The fire youkai held up his hand to stop her from speaking any more. "There are some people coming who will want to be here for when those questions are answered, Aliya. Until they come I won't answer them." Aliya stared at the fire youkai before looking down at her hands. A knock on the door interrupted them and drew Hiei's gaze from her. Shuichi entered into the room with a grim expression on his face.

"Everyone is here..." he said before stepping away from the door. Aliya stood from the bed and slowly made her way over to the kitsune. When she stopped at the doorway, she looked up at Shuichi before slipping past him. "How is she, Hiei?" he whispered to his friend as he approached him. "She's not taking it too well." The kitsune sighed as he raised his hand to his forehead. "We'll just have to wait and see how she handles everything." The two walked away from her room towards the living room.

Aliya slowly sat down in the love seat and leaned back trying to relax but she could not as she looked around the room. She bit down on her bottom lip before letting it slowly slip out of her mouth when someone caught her eye. Sitting across from her was a woman who appeared to be around twenty four years old. The woman had long flowing blue-black hair that she wore loose around her shoulders. She had bright yellow-green eyes that stood out against her caramel skin tone. The woman wore a patient warm smile on her face.

The younger girl flashed her a nervous smile somehow she felt that there was something familiar about the glow in her eyes. "Aliya..." Yusuke began drawing the girl's attention towards him. "I know you have some questions that need to be answered and we will try to do so to the best of our ability. Which question do you need answered first?" "I don't know where to start. There are so many questions that... how do I know all of you?" Aliya said clutching her hands together nervously.

Yusuke scratched the back of his head as he cleared his throat. "Well... I don't remember how you were introduced to our..." Hiei folded his arms over his chest. "You attended Shuichi's high school..." Aliya blinked at his words. "Really? He seems so much older than me..." Yusuke and Kuwabara burst into a fit of laughter while Shuichi cleared his throat. "I am some years older than you, Aliya. But let Hiei finish."

The fire youkai snorted before he continued. "The Meidou Academy was on the same route as the university that Shuichi attended. I would wait to walk with him. You would often walk past me on your way to and from school." Aliya frowned tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair impatiently. "How did we meet? How did we go from me walking past you to..."

"One day I heard your screams... when I found you, you were being raped. I saved you and brought you to your apartment. It was there that you offered to cook me dinner..." Hiei's voice faded as he let what he said sink in. Aliya raised her eyebrows then let her gaze shifted over towards Shuichi. "Wait... but what you said just a bit ago.. what happened? Did I cheat on him with you?"

The woman who had remained silent choked back on her laughter before shaking her head. "What is she talking about?" Yusuke smirked as he jerked his thumb towards Shuichi. "Genius here blurted out that he still loved her and that he knew shorty felt the same." The woman turned her yellow-green eyes towards the ruby-haired man with a hardened gaze. "How could you be so careless, Ku-Shuichi?"

Shuichi coughed into his hand before turning his head away from them. The woman shook her head then turned towards the younger girl. "What happened is Hiei was your first boyfriend... and after the two of you broke up... Shuichi became your boyfriend. You were still with him when your memory was erased." 

Aliya's face darkened as she scratched the back of her cheek gently. "Oh I... see..." she said softly. She blinked and looked towards the woman was still giving Shuichi a dirty look. "Wait... how do you know all of this? I know Yusuke, Kazuma, Shuichi and Hiei but who..." The woman chuckled turning towards the young girl. "I was hoping that your memory of me had not been erased but I see that it was. I am your best friend Destiny. We've been friends ever since you moved here to Japan."

The younger girl rubbed her cheek as a sad expression overtook her face. "If all of you... mean that much to me... what happened? Why was my memory erased?" Hiei frowned angrily and stared down at the floor. Shuichi sighed as he rubbed his face and looked away for a moment before turning towards Aliya again. "There... are other things that you need to know... Yusuke, Hiei, Destiny and I are... not human."

Aliya blinked at his words. "You...'re not human? What the hell does that mean?" "It means just what he said, sweetie. They... and I are not human..." "So what are you... aliens are something? I knew it... Hiei's red eyes are just not normal." Hiei glared at the young girl before looking away from her ignoring the laughter of Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Oh... baby no... we're... youkai. Yusuke is part Mazuka, Kurama is a hanyou, half kitsune and half human, Hiei is half ice youkai and half fire youkai and me... I'm half dragon and half storm youkai," Destiny said. Aliya stared at her as if she had grown a third head.

"Youkai... you are youkai? But... youkai don't exist..." Aliya stammered. Shuichi smiled at her gently. "Yes they do. We do... my real name is Kurama. My human name is Shuichi." The young girl nodded her head as she tried to absorb the information. "And why was my memory erased... what happened?" Kurama's face fell a bit.

"What happened was that Hiei and I... we often got into altercations over our love for you. But the true reason that your memory was erased... it was done to protect you from us and those of who would harm you." Kurama leaned back against the back of the couch and watched her. "To protect me from you... would mean that you two were going to hurt me..." Hiei turned towards her. "No... it wasn't that. Neither I nor Kurama would ever harm you. Many were afraid that our fighting and those against us would bring harm to you."

The young girl looked down at her hands and swallowed, nodding her head gently. "You said that there are those who would harm me... why?" Yusuke elbowed Kurama in his ribs and grunted angrily. "Over the time you spent with us... you began to exhibit powers whenever you grew upset. As your powers increased more youkai tried to kidnap you. We couldn't understand why youkai were so interested in you. Not to harm you because you were with us but because of your powers. It was... our boss who finally learned what you were... what you are."

"And what is that?" the young girl asked the kitsune. Hiei finally turned his eyes towards the pretty girl. "What you are Aliya is an angel." The young girl suddenly burst into laughter. "You're kidding right? An angel?" The fire demon stood up and walked over to her. Destiny moved to the edge of her seat watching him carefully. Aliya looked up at him as Hiei leaned down closer towards her. "Hiei?" she asked him just as he pulled back his hand and slapped her hard.

"HIEI!" Destiny, Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted in unison while Kurama held them back. "Wait..." he said to them in a hushed tone. Aliya's face remained turned from the blow of Hiei's slap. After a few moments she turned back towards him, her eyes were glowing white as she focused her eyes on him. Suddenly the fire demon was knocked back by her energy. When her energy level lowered and her eyes returned to normal, she stared at Hiei as she leaned forward before slowly rising to her feet.

"I'm... I don't understand... I-I remember seeing pictures of me in the hospital in my... mother's arms. I remember growing up.." Hiei sat up leaning against the wall. "That part we found out after your memory was erased. You were placed in the belly of a human mother to escape the clutches of a dark angel who was going to use your powers for evil. Even then your memory of being an angel had been taken from you to ensure you would be safe."

Aliya shook her head raising her hands to her face. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. Destiny frowned gently as she watched her best friend. She made a move to place her hand on the back of the young girl but hesitated. "Aliya... honey..." she spoke to her gently. "Pl-please... leave me... alone..." the sixteen year old ran out of the living room. A few moments later the sound of the door slamming echoed through out the house.

Kurama watched the retreating form of the young girl with a worried expression. "Maybe we should have waited..." Destiny glared at him. "Yes that makes perfect since... wait to explain to her why you blurted out that you loved her still when she only remembers meeting you for the first time a few days ago. And can someone explain to me **why** she tried to take her life? I thought you were supposed to watch over her, Forbidden One?"

Hiei growled at the female storm dragon walking over to her. "I did watch her. I was ordered to stay away from her so all I could do was watch her from a distance. She was miserable... but I did not know until the night she tried to kill herself the depths of her sadness." Destiny snorted and turned towards Kurama. "Now that she knows everything... I'm reinstating myself as her guardian. This time can I trust that you guys will not make this harder on her?"

"You can trust us, Destiny. I don't think any of us will want to lose her again so we will try our hardest not to make this any harder on her." The storm dragon nodded her head as she turned to look at them. "I'll go check on her then I'm going home." Destiny left the living room and made her way down the hall towards Aliya's room. She knocked on the door gently. "Aliya?" When she gained no answer, she opened the door and stuck her head into the room.

Aliya did not turn her head to acknowledge the woman's presence. "Aliya... sweetie. I know right now that this is all very confusing for you. That after a very... stressful year, you find out that there is a section of your life that was erased but trust me everything will be all right in the end." The young girl remained silent for a moment. "That explains my pregnancy," she whispered. Destiny stared at her friend before stepping in the room and shutting the door behind her.

"What?" Destiny breathed staring down at the girl. "You were..." Aliya turned her head so that she could look at the storm dragon. "Last year... I awoke one morning... very noxious. I did not understand why at first.. I thought it was just a stomach virus but after two months my stomach began to bulge. I went to the doctor to find out what was wrong and he told me that I was pregnant. I was terrified. I couldn't remember how I became pregnant. I remember going to sleep what I thought was the night before but when I awoke the next morning I was four months pregnant."

Destiny slowly sat down on the bed watching Aliya for a moment before looking down at the young girl's body. Her shirt was raised slightly exposing some of her back and she could see tips of stretch marks. "Where... is the baby?" Aliya looked away from her and her shoulders slumped. "Do you know how hard it is to be pregnant in high school? To not know how it happened... to not know the father of your baby. To walk down the halls of your school as other kids stare at you?" she sniffed lowering her forehead against her hand. "The stress was too much for me... and I-I lost the baby."

"Oh... Aliya..." the storm dragon whispered sadly watching her best friend. "I.. am so sorry." "At least I know now that my baby did have a father." Destiny gasped staring at her as she quickly realized the new situation that was arising. "Who do you think the baby's father was?" she breathed. "I don't have any idea. I can only assume that it was Shuichi... I mean Kurama's baby. That is if I wasn't a slut and slept with Hiei while dating..." Destiny bit down on her bottom lip. Aliya caught the expression and frowned. "Don't tell me..." The storm demon shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure… there was one time…"

Aliya sighed turning her head and looked away from the woman who she was quickly considering as a friend. "I knew there was something. I saw it in Kurama's eyes even in Hiei's eyes. I saw what I thought looked like love." She smiled softly. "Also explains why Hiei saved me from killing myself." Destiny smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I know its a lot to soak in. Give yourself some time, okay? You should probably relax for a while only come out of the room if you have to use the bathroom."

"Okay Des," she sighed laying down. "Do they expect me to pick up where my memory was before it was erased?" "No, baby. They don't expect anything from you. We all love and care about you and only want what's best for you. If what's best for you is different then from the time before you lost your memory they will have to learn to deal. Now... rest. I'm going home." Destiny pulled out a pen and wrote down her number on a piece of paper that she placed near the girl. "Call me if they act out of line and I'll come over and beat their asses." Aliya chuckled and closed her eyes. "I will."

Destiny walked over to the door and prepared to open it when she heard Aliya sigh in her sleep. "Please don't tell Kurama or Hiei about my pregnancy. I feel that if either of them knew... something bad would happen." The storm dragon smiled. "I won't. I promise..." And with that she stepped out of the room to let the young girl rest. When Destiny walked into the living room she tried not to look at Kurama knowing full well that her expression would give away that she knew something.

She quickly walked to the door and walked out without another word to anyone else. Yusuke frowned as he watched her walk out of the apartment. _We have Aliya back and she still won't talk to me... how long will this keep up? How long can she stay mad?_ Hiei turned his crimson eyes towards the kitsune who seemed torn between leaving the young girl be or going to see her. _He's still very much in love with her... and I hate him for that. I won't let anyone take her from me again... not even him._


	6. Chapter 6

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Six: Hiei's Confession

Aliya opened her eyes slowly at the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. The young girl slowly sat up and glanced out of the window to see that it was late at night. She brushed her hair behind her ear as she rose from her bed and walked over to the door. She paused for a moment before opening the door and stepping out of the room. Aliya listened to the sounds of the house as she walked down the hallway. She placed her small hand along the wall as she slowly walked down the hall.

When the young girl walked out of the hall into the living room, she felt a hand on shoulder. "What are you doing out of bed?" came the voice of Hiei from behind her. Aliya pressed her lips together, her fear of making the demon angry conquering her need to tell him what was on her mind. "Aliya… answer the question." The young woman turned her gaze towards him and she bowed her head slightly. "I just… I was tired of being in my room and I wanted to…"

Hiei frowned, his crimson eyes remaining focused on her pretty face. "You wanted to go out," he said in an answering tone more than a questioning one. Aliya raised her gaze towards him and nodded her head gently before lowering it again. The fire demon took her hand firmly in his, leading her to the front door of the apartment. Hiei reached out and opened the front door before tugging her through.

"I will take you out," he said simply. Aliya closed her eyes when she felt the cool wind encircling her body. She took a deep breath before a slow smile spread across her face. Following the fire demon down the front stairs, the young woman clasped her hands together. Aliya stared down at her feet as she walked, she could feel the eyes of her companion on her but pretended not to notice. Hiei watched the young woman quietly and he moved closer to her.

"Hiei… are you mad at me about… that kiss?" Aliya asked him in her softened tone voice. Hiei frowned and stared down at his feet. Mad was not the word he would use… he was infuriated. It took every bone in his body not to break that kitsune's face open. "No… I'm not mad." The words seemed to burn his lips as they passed. "You… really are not angry?" Hiei stopped walking and turned towards the young woman.

Aliya stopped walking and raised her gaze to lock with his. The young woman felt the lump rising within her throat and she tried to force it down but it was hard to. There was something familiar about his eyes, something that made her heart pound within her chest. Finally she forced herself to look away from him. Reaching out Hiei placed his knuckles against her cheek. "Yes… I was angry. I was insane with it… I could not stand to see… his lips against yours… I thought I was going to kill him."

"But why Hiei?" The words came out on a whispered breath almost as if she was afraid of speaking to loudly. Placing his hands on her cheeks, he stared into her beautiful face. He brushed his right thumb across her soft skin. _It's been so long… _Hiei leaned forward slowly. He could tell that she was holding her breath at the intense feeling that he knew she could feel when his lips were close enough to hers that he could feel the heat radiating off them. _I cannot take this anymore… _

Hiei brushed his lips against hers, enjoying the soft feeling against him. It took less than a moment before he laced his fingers into her soft hair and held her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. The kiss that started off gentle turned a little rougher the longer he held her in his arms. _I cannot fight this… I have to have her… it's been too long since I've felt her body against mine. So long since I heard her say those words to me… You want to know what kissing Kurama did to me, on'na? It was like you had said you loved him… and not me. And I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!_

Aliya shuddered in Hiei's arms as she felt his tongue swirling around hers. A moan rose from her chest vibrating through her lips. She inhaled breathing in his breath before she felt him break the kiss. "I'm not going to let him steal you away from me… not this time," he hissed under his breath. As Aliya stared into Hiei's crimson red eyes, she realized quickly what he was speaking of. Bowing her head, she placed her hands on his shoulders as he tightened his arms around her waist. Leaning forward he breathed in her scent as he felt her resting her temple against his.

After a few minutes, Hiei released Aliya gently before standing beside her. Taking the young girl's hand within his, the fire demon walked with her down the sidewalk. Aliya continued to stare down at the concrete enjoying the feeling of their hands connected. _This… feels so familiar to me. But didn't they say that not too long ago Hiei and I were together? Wasn't it also that way with Kurama?_ Hiei frowned slightly hearing Aliya's thoughts. He had tried to ignore the jealousy that was rising within his chest with no success.

Hiei stopped walking forcing Aliya to stop in her movement as well. The fire demon continued to stare ahead for a moment before he turned to look back at her. "There are a lot of things that you still don't understand about us… about our relationship." "Please tell me. What is it that I don't understand, Hiei?" Hiei dropped his gaze for a moment then raised his eyes to look into Aliya's. "Before you had become Kurama's… you were mine. You belonged to me… and then…" Hiei hesitated for a minute tightening his grip around her waist. "I did something foolish… and it cost me the one thing that I cherished more than anything. And because of my stupidity Kurama was able to move in. Ever since I have wanted… to tell you that I am sorry… I'm sorry for everything that I did to you.."

Aliya pulled back a little to look into Hiei's face. "But what… did you do to me Hiei I do not understand." The fire youkai turned his gaze away unable to look her in the face while he spoke. "I was just so angry… so jealous… you were the best thing that has ever happened to me… and I did everything in my power…" Hiei raised his gaze and fixed his crimson red eyes to lock with hers. "I told you that I have been wasting my time with you… that I hated everything about you… the thought that I had shared my bed with you… sickened me."

As the words fell from his lips, Aliya felt her heart stop beating. There was something about his words that struck her. It had ripped her heart apart to hear them. She paled and tore her eyes away from his unable to look him in the face. Tears rose into her eyes before slowly spilling down her cheeks. Hiei watched the young woman he held in his arms. Even though it had been some time since he had actually uttered those words to her. It still very much hurt him to see the woman he loved so much hurting because of him.

Placing his hand on her cheek, Hiei bowed his head placing his forehead against hers. "I was foolish, Aliya… you must forgive me… I need you to forgive me." Aliya sniffled trying as hard as she could to stop herself from crying without success. "Aliya…" Hiei whispered as he slid his fingers into her hair. "Forgive me…" The young woman opened her mouth but was stopped from speaking by Hiei's lips pressed against hers. This kiss, she quickly realized was much more different than the first one. This kiss held his need for forgiveness and she let out a soft moan of pleasure. _I forgive you… Hiei… I… forgive you._


	7. Chapter 7

**From The Yu Yu Hakusho Case Files: Shadows of a Broken Memory**

Chapter Seven: A Secret Revealed

Hiei sat in the windowsill within Aliya's room, staring at the sun as it slowly appeared over the horizon. When he heard her make a soft moan as she stirred underneath her blankets, the fire youkai turned to look over at her. The night before was so surprising to the fire youkai. Even though it felt good to hold her in his arms… to feel her lips against his, Hiei knew it was wrong for him to reveal so much of himself to her. But he felt that he had to… a part of him had to let her know how much he cared about her.

No one could understand how much he had gone through while she was away. Even though the detectives had only requested that he watch over her, Hiei had taken it a step farther. He stayed by her side day and night. While she walked through the halls of her school, he was always beside her. He had seen the misery she was in. He heard the whispers of her fellow students, the stares, the chuckles behind her back as she walked past them. Sometimes he could ignore them but there was one he could not ignore. He had made Aliya's life a living hell spreading nasty vicious rumors about the young woman. His behavior was unforgivable and Hiei made him pay for every remark that he made.

It was during this time Hiei had learned a dark secret purely by accident that nearly destroyed him. A secret that he knew Aliya had carried in shame and one that he had not told the other detectives. The young woman that he had known for two and a half years was carrying a child. A baby that was not his. This was the one of the few things in many years that made the fire demon want to kill not just someone but **everyone**. The woman he loved was pregnant with his best friend's child.

Closing his eyes, Hiei took a deep breath as he tried to think of something… anything else. He knew that Aliya thought she was carrying this secret alone but the fire demon had known what she went through. After a few minutes of calming himself, Hiei opened his eyes and looked down at the young woman as she slept. Hiei slowly slid off the windowsill and made his way over towards Aliya's bed. Slowly sitting down upon the bed as not to disturb her, Hiei watched her sleeping features.

Letting out a grunted sigh, Hiei laid down beside the young woman before pulling her against his chest. Breathing in her scent, the fire demon pressed the tip of his nose in the strands of her hair as sleep overtook him.

Suichi sat at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee, blowing gently on the hot beverage, the hanyou closed his eyes. The kitsune had been awoken by the sound of Hiei and Aliya returning from their late night stroll. He had been aware that something had transpired between the two of them. Even as they had entered into the house, Hiei was still holding the hand of the young woman and had lead her into her room. Neither had emerged and now that it was morning he knew that Hiei had spent the night with her.

It was at that moment that Suichi heard Aliya's room door opening and he raised his cup to his lips again. Hiei walked into the kitchen barely noticing the kitsune as he walked over towards the coffee machine getting himself a cup. "So you spent the night with her?" Suichi said trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as he could. "That's none of your business, kitsune…"

Suichi remained silent for a moment, slowly sipping at his coffee before he lowered the cup and placed it down on the table. The hanyou raised his forest green eyes to look at the fire demon steadily. "Hiei, ever since Aliya came back into our lives… I felt that this was the human's god giving me another chance with the woman I love…" Suichi paused before looking up at Hiei. "It never occurred to me that you would feel the same way yourself."

Hiei shifted his eyes away from his friend knowing where he was going with this and he laced his fingers together resting them against his chin. Suichi could see a dark shadow fall over his friend's face. "Hiei… I know you still love her as do I but you already had your chance. Do you not remember what happened? Hiei, you broke her heart. You claim to love her but you would never do what you did to her. She trusted you and you betrayed her…"

As he listened to his friends words the fire demon growled and slammed his fists onto the table. "I did **no** such thing… I have always…" "You broke her heart Hiei," Suichi lowered his gaze as he remained eerily calm, his hands tightly wrapped around his coffee mug. It was only then that he realized that his knuckles were not only white but he was squeezing the cup so hard that it had cracked. "You have no idea… no clue what I had to do… the tears I had to watch her shed over you. I never thought I was going to be able to heal that rift in her heart that you had left… but you know what… I did. And I will never forget the words that she spoke to me."

Hiei frowned severely for he knew what Suichi was speaking about, he remembered those words himself and even could recall them vividly. Closing his eyes, he covered his face with his callused hands. What she said and the look in her eyes had haunted him for weeks after that _"Suichi…" Aliya looked down at her feet. It was a habit of hers. She was never able to look a man in the face. Especially when she was in love with them. _

_Suichi too had lowered his head but not for the reason that he could not look her in the face but because he wanted to be near her. Hiei had often found himself doing the same thing subconsciously. The need to be near such a beautiful being… to protect her from everything. "Aliya… I know that you still care about him but please…" "I do care about Hiei still but Suichi… I love you." Suichi lifted his head to stare at the young girl. Deep down he never thought that he could heal her. The words that Hiei said had hurt her deeply and in a way it had hurt him as well. But even still to hear her say that she loved him the kitsune did not know what to think or feel. "Do you?"_

_Aliya smiled softly raising her small delicate hand to place on Suichi's jaw. Slowly she slid her hand along his flesh until her fingers laced in his hair. The kitsune leaned down as she stood on her toes, pressing her lips against his. The kiss was tender and filled with passion. She broke the kiss slowly and whispered in a gentle voice. "I love you, Suichi Minamino." A slow smile appeared upon his beautiful features and he took her hands in his. "And I love you, Aliya Night…"_

Hiei growled, rubbing his face in anger and agitation as the vision burned in the back of his eyes. He had seen, had heard everything that night. The fire demon had known that much anger, that much jealousy, that much hatred a few times in his life and he could count them off on one hand but this time had topped them all. To lose the one woman he had ever been in love with. Had dared give his heart to. It took everything inside of him not to hurt Suichi but he had not only wanted to hurt him. He wanted to hurt her as well. To hurt the one who had broken his heart by being with his best friend.

But Hiei had known that he was the only one to blame for what had happened between them. He was the one that had chosen to end what little they had even though he had done so out of stupidity. Lowering his head he glared at the table as he rested his forehead against his fists. "Suichi…"

"In all that time that we spent without her… we never did learn our lesson. We had lost her because of our own selfish attitudes," Suichi removed his hands from the cup and stood from the chair. "I know how you feel about her, Hiei; however, I cannot allow you to have her…" With that Suichi walked out of the kitchen with Hiei watching his every movement.

When Suichi walked into the hallway that lead to the bedrooms, he found himself looking into the face of Aliya. The two stared into each other's eyes for a long while, neither saying a word. "Aliya, how well did you sleep?," Suichi asked the young woman. Aliya bit down on her bottom lip as she stared into the deep green eyes for a moment before looking away from him. "Suichi… I heard… everything that the two of you said," she said in a quiet voice. The hanyou kitsune sighed heavily raising his hand to her head to run his fingers through the strands of his hair as he closed his eyes. "Aliya, I'm sorry you must understand."

The young woman folded her arms under her breasts and stared up at Suichi. "Tell me what must I understand?" The kitsune did not know how to answer her question. Letting out a slow breath, he folded his arms behind his back as he watched her. For a moment, his green eyes remained locked upon hers before he looked away and turned his gaze over towards his best friend. Hiei


End file.
